Palomino Books & Music opened July 1 in Tulsa, Okla., the Cherokee Phoenix reported. Located at 2411 E. Admiral Blvd. in Tulsa's Kendall-Whittier District, Palomino Books & Music sells new and used books with an emphasis on work by Indigenous authors and about Indigenous topics, along with bestsellers, classics, and bilingual titles. The store also offers new and used vinyl.
Palomino Books & Music is the brainchild of owners and married couple Paloma Lopez and Agalisiga Mackey. Lopez is the author of the children's book Popo the Xolo, which is based on Indigenous Mexican culture, while Mackey is a country singer and citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Lopez explained that Mackey is the "music man" while she is the "book lady."
"We both kind of had the thought of what could we do as artists, as creatives in our respective areas, what can we do on our own," Lopez told the Cherokee Phoenix.
Both co-owners are passionate about language education, and they plan to offer Cherokee-language courses at Palomino Books & Music. The store also has a listening room, complete with a performance area, seating, and a mural painted by Cherokee artist Kindra Swafford. Mackey did the first live performance in that listening room on July 3, and a song swap featuring Mackey and three other artists is scheduled for July 17.
Lopez noted that they chose to open a store in Tulsa despite living some 50 miles outside of it because it is "such a hub for Indigenous creators and really just creators in general that are putting Tulsa on the map," she told the Cherokee Phoenix. "We’ve got it all, and we’ve got the best, and I say that coming from the West Coast. There are people who know what’s up and are doing really cool things, and we're excited to be a part of it."